Current weather

Saturday, January 23, 2010

Are times changing?
My, my. There's a faint refreshing breeze on the peninsula amid the smell of crony-ism, back room shady deals, closed special executive sessions, and the silencing of the public's voice. Will 2010 be the year of open government, public comment, and a renewed spirit of watchfulness over the political shenanigans we saw in the year just past? I certainly hope so. Things seem to be changing. A new spirit is awakening.

Military suicides a result of poor leadership
The amount of military suicides in both men and women has been increasing. Well "duh" -- the brains in Washington keeps sending the same people back into same terrifying situation time and again. Very few people have any comprehension of what it would be like to live in a country where any person you meet or get close to could be carrying a bomb to blow you up, or someone down the street has a gun pointed at your head. They may be launching missiles while you are trying to sleep and you don't know if it is aimed in your direction; I always thought the National Guard was to protect our states and borders, not be the fighting force of the United States.

Loss of 60th vote a good thing
Thank God the Democrats lost their super majority. Now the Republicans have no excuse to set with their arms crossed and blame everything on Democrats. They have done absolutely nothing in one year, when we were fallng off a cliff financially and couldn't even see the bottom. I don't think this country has ever seen so many high paid blubberers under one roof. All excuses are now gone. It doesn't matter what party they're in, it's time they go back to work and do something good for the people.

Do you fear our government?
I agree with Mr. Gustkey's letter of Jan.15 (Lesson to be learned in U.S. history). He believes we should "be showing our youth that we, as adults, take our responsibilities seriously for the good of the community in the long run."

It's all coming together for Tustumena 200
The term "perfect storm" is often used when a series of events go wrong, but for the first time in a number of years the Tustumena 200 Sled Dog Race is experiencing a perfect storm of things going right.

Climate pact stalls; discussion ongoing
The Kenai City Council chose not to sign the global climate change compact on Wednesday night but intends to further the discussion of climate change issues.

Photo feature: Blowin' off steam
Mount Redoubt releases a cloud of steam Wednesday afternoon. The Alaska Volcano Observatory still has the mountain at color code green and alert level normal.

HEA plan looks like a winner for peninsula
Homer Electric Association this week announced plans it has in the works to produce power for its members when its contract with Chugach Electric runs out at the end of 2013.

Gone to the dogs
This year's Tustumena 200 Sled Dog Race has a diverse field, and while many spectators will be eager to watch for the veteran mushers, it's important to not lose sight that even the big name mushers were once wide-eyed rookies, much like 20-year-old Shaynee Seipke will be in this T-200.

Cheer for champions and challengers
As this year's running of the Tustumena 200 Sled Dog Race takes place, many will turn out to witness the event, and I hope that spectators will cheer for more than just the established champions.

Christmas counters tally 1,309 birds
On Christmas Day in 1900, a small group of people inspired by ornithologist Frank Chapman started an alternative to the holiday tradition know as the Christmas "side hunt," where teams of hunters competed to see who could shoot the most birds and other wildlife in the course of the day. A viable conservation ethic was starting to gain traction around the beginning of the 20th century, and many conservationists were alarmed by North America's steeply declining bird populations.

Eat more salmon
While fishing in my freezer recently, I noticed some sockeye salmon lurking. I hadn't eaten salmon for a while, so I pulled out a package for dinner.

Winter ball canceled

KayHi boys stop Stars
Soldotna's boys built a 33-21 lead by halftime, but Ketchikan scored 48 second-half points to SoHi's 23 to earn a 69-56, come-from-behind victory in the first round of the Alaska Prep Shootout at Dimond High School on Thursday.

Recovery meetings planned

Liedes, Leggett, Coty capture city tourney titles
The results are in for the 50th annual city tournament. Total scores include handicap unless noted, and divisions are separated by averages. Division I is for averages 158 and above; Division II is for averages 121 to 157 and Division III is for averages 120 and below.